by Lidia Sánchez
The Córdoba-born Joaquín Cortés has had notable success with his latest show, 'Live', that he has now extended it to an international tour. Marbella, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Sarasota and Washington are a few of the cities where the dancer's spectacular flamenco dancing can be enjoyed. Andalucia.com covered his Marbella, Spain performance, Jul2 25th at the Puerto Banus bullfighting ring. Joaquín's recital was full of rhythm and soul.
After 2 years of touring, Joaquin continues to gather fans for his fourth show. Fittingly, his tour began May 22nd , 2003 at the bullring of his hometown, Córdoba, with a grand finale scheduled in Washington on August 30th, 2003.
'Live'
Dance & choreography are composed by the dancer himself along with the creative contributions of Juan Parrilla, Jesús Bola and Diego Carrasco. Music and cante take centre stage as the show is performed by eighteen musicians on stage, 3 of which have soulful voices resembling that of the infamous Niña Pastori, another one of Spain's youthful yet inspiring flamenco singers. Joaquín's team supported an impressively elegant wardrobe by Giorgio Armani. The colors seemed to have been carefully chosen emphasizing white, black, red, all complimenting the show's lighting (by JuanJo Beloqui) with harmonious blues and turquoises which really intensified the performance.
During his press conference the day before, Joaquín told us that his 'Live' show is a journey through the various styles of flamenco. On the eve of his performance, our interpretation was that there are flavours of classical music, Arabic, Sephardic, Jewish, Afrocuban, jazz and gospel mixed into this modern flamenco - definitely a must see! Joaquín's performance is undeniably enriched by the cante of Encarni Amador, Irene Molina, Reyes Martín (the 3 sirens whoms voices we think resemble that of Niña Pastori), Antonio Carbonell, Juañares and Juan José Amador; as well as the instrumental unification of the flute, violin, viola, contrabass, cello and percussions. Joaquín interprets the music by dancing with much passion and expressive rhythm. In our opinion, the artist performs his greatest thus far. 'Live' (2003) is undoubtedly a fusion of his 3 previous shows: Cibayí (1992), Pasión Gitana (1995) and Soul (1999).
'Live' released on DVD in Spain and the United States.
The show was recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall last June, 2002. Joaquín Cortés now presents his show on DVD -definitely a keepsake if you are a fan or want to buy for a fan. Apart from the obvious performance, an interview and unreleased footage are also included.